


Forbidden Knowledge

by RedFox13



Category: Dark Souls (Video Games), Dark Souls I
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Short One Shot, Story within a Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:21:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24732250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedFox13/pseuds/RedFox13
Summary: Ornstein learns the truth behind his master's banishment. He also learns that his boyfriend is a bit of a bookworm. Demon's Souls is mentioned here too.
Relationships: The Nameless King & Dragon Slayer Ornstein
Kudos: 13





	Forbidden Knowledge

Another frigid day was coming to a close. The jagged gray crags of Arch Dragon Peak were obscured as thundering clouds rolled in. The serpent men hid away in their burrows, content to sleep out the approaching storm. Ornstein stood with spear in hand gazing out at the murky haze shrouding the temple. His breath drifted like smoke from his visor and his blood red hair waved behind him like a war banner. Behind him was the building where the youngest drakes nested, his master was seeing that they would remain comfortable for the duration of the blizzard.

Casually looking down he examined the fine layer of frost forming on his gauntlet. The temperature was dropping rapidly, he and his master would have to seek shelter themselves soon. A few minutes later he saw a familiar set of robes out of the corner of his eye. "The drakes have plenty of coals to warm themselves, they should be fine for now. Nuri shall keep a close eye on her brood." Farram said with a smile. In his arms he held a pile of split logs for their fireplace. "Be a dear Ornstein and grab the other stack please. It's just inside the door way."

Ornstein nodded as he strapped his spear to his back and hurried to gathered the remaining firewood. He swiftly followed behind his Lord until they arrived at their chambers. Once he'd set down his stack Ornstein put away his spear and began to take off his armor. Farram set his own stack down and got a fire started. Then he moved to shutter the windows and bar the balcony door to keep the cold out. He paused briefly to look over his shoulder, Ornstein was sitting by the fireplace waiting for him. His emerald eyes glowed in the soft light of the fire, his every move was being keenly observed.

He couldn't help but smile, it had been ages since he'd left Lordran. Many things had changed, but his Ornstein remained the same. Laughing quietly to himself he joined him by the fire, it was their evening routine to relax in front of the hearth and just enjoy each other's company. And sometimes Farram would grab a book from his shelf and read aloud to Ornstein. He felt like doing that just then as his knight rested his head on his shoulder. "Ornstein?" He spoke quietly. The lion knight turned to look at him, "Yes, love?" Farram smiled at him. "I know you just got comfortable, but would you allow me up so I can fetch a book?"

Ornstein frowned but sat up to let his Lord stand. "Alright, I suppose." He sighed. "May I look for a book too?" Farram nodded as he stood, holding out his hand he helped his knight up and they both browsed the book shelf on the far side of their room. A majority of the books in the temple were mainly scrolls concerning dragons, their history, or the Path of the Dragon. But over the centuries Farram had accumulated his own collection with a variety of topics and he kept them in his room for when it was a slow day.

Ornstein skimmed over the long faded words etched onto the bindings until he came across one written in the Eastern dialect. Out of curiosity he picked it up and began to thumb through it. His jaw dropped in surprise at several diagrams of people engaged in various adult activities. Farram glanced over and laughed at his dumbfounded expression. "What's that you've found?" He asked as he read the cover. It was one he'd picked up in the East long ago, it was called the Kama Sutra. "This is the most perverse, crude, dirty book I've read in ages... May I borrow it?" Ornstein looked up at him and Farram laughed loudly. "Sure, why not." He replied.

Setting it to the side Ornstein picked through another shelf. "The Art of War? Why does the god of war need a book about how to fight?" He tilted his head at him as he pointed at the book. "That's like asking why a sorcerer has a book on sorcery. It's for learning, just when you think you've seen everything you learn something new." Farram replied.

Crouching down he pulled a terribly worn book with a skull embossed on the cover. The edges were splattered with aged flecks of blood and it's pages were covered in bizarre writings. "I thought I burnt this thing." Farram said to himself. "What the fuck is that?" Ornstein asked as he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand straight. "I may have borrowed it from Seath, who "borrowed" it from Nito. He called it the Necronomicon." Farram carefully placed the book high up on the shelf where none could reach it. "I had quite a busy evening slaying skeletons last time I read that thing."

"You have a strange taste in reading material." Ornstein said as he raised an eyebrow at him. "I just wanted to broaden my horizons a bit." Farram grinned innocently. A few minutes later Ornstein found a small leather journal sitting tucked away behind a stack of geography books. It's brown cover was held in place with twine, the original binding had worn out long ago. The sickly sweet scent of souls clung to its weathered yellow pages. Farram looked over when he noticed Ornstein had gotten quiet.

“I forgot where I hid that." Farram's tone had grown somber. "What is this?" Ornstein asked quietly. "It's why I'm here and not in Lordran. That journal belonged to an ancient hero who saved our world. It tells the truth of our origins and of humanity." Farram gently took the book from Ornstein and looked it over. "The truth? I thought the annals of history told the truth of our world." Ornstein said quietly. "It told Gwyn's narrative of the reign of gods and the war with the evil dragons. It was a beautiful tale for those foolish enough to believe it." Farram replied. "Come sit by the fire with me, I'll tell you the story of this brave soul." He added as he looked fondly at the journal.  
Returning to their spot Ornstein got comfortable by laying with his head in Farram's lap. He couldn't help but smile at how adorable he looked in that moment. Gently opening the journal he began to read aloud.

"On the first day, man was given a soul. On the second day the Old One, an evil being, released a soul devouring demon on the earth." He began. Ornstein opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly decided against it. "The Old One unleashed the first plague of demons upon the world. And a group of mighty warriors challenged him and imprisoned him deep beneath the earth, using their Soul Arts they sealed their being within several Archstones and were scattered throughout the world. These living stones protected the seal placed on the Old One and kept him in perpetual slumber."

Farram looked down to see if Ornstein was listening. He had a question in his eyes, but he didn't dare interrupt. "Centuries passed, the power of the Archstones faded and one by one they fell silent. An ancient kingdom called Boletaria was built. It was a prosperous land until the reign of Allant XII, he wanted his realm to be successful and his people blessed with good fortune. Foolishly he broke the seal of the Old One because it promised to grant his wish. Instead the land was enshrouded in a deep fog, demons rose once more to feed on the souls of men. And those who lost their soul soon lost their minds, becoming what we know as hollows."

"The world wasn't always shrouded in fog?" Ornstein whispered. He nearly couldn't believe what he was hearing. Farram nodded solemnly.  
"Many heroes braved the fog seeking Boletaria and the demons. Some wanted the power of souls, others sought the Old One, lured by promises of wealth and glory. One hero chose to fight the demons and bring about the end of the fog. In the end they faced Allant and slew him, but the fog could not be lifted. At least not yet."

"Why not?" Ornstein said as he sat up. "The world needed to heal, it was contaminated by the darkness of the demons. The land was in a state of decay, all life withered away leaving only gray crags. The Arch-trees were a product of the last Archstone in an attempt to bring life back." Farram fell silent for a time, the crackling of flames and whisper of wind was loud in Ornstein's ears. He just had to ask, "What of the flame?"

Farram sighed tiredly before continuing. "It was a natural anomaly, the world trying to heal itself. The cycles of light and dark were meant to mimic life and death, for after death comes restoration. Lord Gwyn saw it as a source of great power, so he convinced the other Lords to harness that power with him. The dragons knew of the flame's true purpose, and they opposed Gwyn's tampering with the natural order."

"So Lord Gwyn had them destroyed...by us..." Ornstein felt sick, he had been lied to. He was told the dragons started the war, and their blood was on his hands, blood that never should've been shed. "Why?" It was all he could say. Farram replied with a single word, "Avarice."

"He saw the power the flame had and took it for himself. Like Allant, his ancestor before him, he wanted power and glory but for himself. He spun the story of the gods to ensure none would challenge him. He thought he would rule forever, but the flame was meant to die out."

"What of the Undead?" Ornstein asked. "It was Lord Gwyn's doing, he twisted the flame and perverted it for his use. What he did to create the curse I'm unsure, but he created the Darksign as a means to ensure the flame continued. He cursed humanity, descendants of the hero to bear the Darksign because he knew another hero would rise to save the day. Little did he know his curse didn't discriminate. In the end he started to turn hollow and sacrificed himself to hide his crimes."

A heavy silence filled the room, despite a roaring fire Ornstein felt cold. Almost out of habit he moved closer to Farram and he put his arm around him. "So that's why you destroyed the annals of history. Because it was a lie." His voice was muffled slightly as Farram hugged him. "Yes. All this he did for greed and power. All for nothing."

"You were banished because you knew." Ornstein whispered. "I found the journal when I met my Storm Drake, together we flew to Boletaria. I saw the ruins for myself and the remains of the Archstone. I saw Allant's bones and those of the demons slain by the hero. Upon my return I confronted Gwyn, in his rage he set fire to the archive where the annals of history were kept. I declared my alliance with the dragons because they were wronged by Gwyn's actions. Gwyn has damned us all by his selfishness."

Ornstein thought long and hard about what he had heard. He would've thought his Lord was joking only, there was the journal. The last and only piece of a long forgotten world, a world with sunlight and the dead rested peacefully. "Did that mean Gwyn lied about you being gods as well?" Ornstein asked. "Yes and no. Gwyn descended from Allant, the Lords and beings like you descended from humans who had powerful souls. There were gods, like Velka and Gwyndolin who are true deities. Gwyn's first wife was of mixed blood so technically I'm a demigod."

“My head hurts now." Ornstein grumbled. Farram replied by kissing him on his forehead. "Sorry, it's quite a bit to absorb. How about a drink? You look like you could use one." He began to grin again. "Sure, I'll get the cups." He said as he stood.


End file.
